Trainees and Scholars

Elizabeth Avent, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Sociology

eavent@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): PhD, University of Southern California; MA, Georgia State University
Research Interests: Elder abuse, late-life intimate partner violence, caregiving, dementia and cognitive impairment, and adverse childhood experiences, relationship quality in later life

Gracie Venechuk, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Sociology

gvenechuk@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison; MA, University of Colorado Denver; BM, Berklee College of Music
Research Interests: Aging; Work Quality; Work Stress and Burnout; Disparities in Healthy Aging; Life Course; Biodemography; Demography

Jason Bonham, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Sociology

jpbonham@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): PhD, University of California, Irvine; MM, Northwestern University; BM, Brigham Young University
Research Interests: Social Methodology, Theory, Public Health, Institutions, and Religion

Durrell Washington, MSW

Predoctoral Fellow, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice

dwashington5@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): MSW Columbia University School of Social Work; BSW CUNY York College
Research Interests:The intersections of Abolition, Juvenile Incarceration, Black Families and Health over the Life Course

Tanya Rajan

Predoctoral Fellow, Economics

tanyar@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): BA, Mathematical Economic Analysis, Rice University, Houston, TX
Research Interests: Labor economics, rural-to-urban migration, household health decisions

Jason Jincong Freeman, MPH, MS

Predoctoral Fellow, Public Health Sciences

jincong.freeman@bsd.uchicago.edu
Degree(s): MPH, George Washington University; MS, Columbia University; BA, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Research Interests: Breast cancer disparities, health equity, biomarker prediction, clinical trials, aging and survivorship

Yiang Li

Predoctoral Affiliate

yiangli@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): MA, University of Chicago; BSc, University College London
Research Interests: Social Demography, Health, Family, Aging and the Life Course, Inequality and Stratification, Statistical Methods

Chinasa Imo

Predoctoral Affiliate

chinasa@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): MA, University of Chicago; MA, University of Lagos; BSc, Nnamdi Azikiwe University
Research Interests: How health system governance, reforms, and participatory processes impact healthcare delivery for underserved populations in low-resource and volatile settings within the global health space

Health Services Research Program (AHRQ T32)

Vivek Nandur, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Booth School of Business

vivek.nandur@chicagobooth.edu
Degree(s): PhD, University of Toronto; MS, University of South Florida; BA, University of Florida
Research Interests: Healthcare Economics, Market Structure of Mental Health, Novel Therapies for Mental Health

Doris Osei Afriyie, DPhil

Postdoctoral Fellow, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice

doriso@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): DPhil, University of Basel/Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute; MPH, Columbia University; BA, University of Chicago
Research Interests: Disparities in service delivery and quality of care, implementing effective strategies to increase uptake of care among populations living in low-resource settings

Kevin Connolly, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Harris School of Public Policy

kevinconnolly@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): PhD, Harvard University; AM, Harvard University; AB, Harvard University
Research Interests: Health Economics, Economics of Aging, Economics of Education

Shelby Steuart, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice

ssteuart@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): PhD, University of Georgia; BA, George Mason University
Research Interests: Health policy, Medicaid, substance use disorders, cannabis policy

Cashell Lewis, MSW

Predoctoral Fellow, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice

cashell@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): MSW, Washington University in St. Louis, Brown School of Social Work.
Research Interests: Suicidal behavior among Black men, justice involved populations, health equity

Brianna Suslovic, MSW, LSW

Predoctoral Fellow, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice

bsuslovic@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): MSW, Smith College; AB, Harvard College
Research Interests: Health policy implementation, criminal-legal systems, mental/behavioral health

Loren Beard

Predoctoral Fellow, Department of Sociology

beardl@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): MA, University of Chicago; BA, University of Pennsylvania
Research Interests: How social institutions shape family life using mixed-methods approaches

Ariel Maschke

Predoctoral Fellow, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice

admaschke@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): MA, UChicago School of Social Service Administration (now Crown Family School); BA, Northwestern University
Research Interests: Role of evidence in social policy, governance, and social work practice; organizational theory; science and technology studies; monitoring and evaluation; substance use; child welfare

Joseph Battles

Predoctoral Fellow, Department of Economics

joebattles.ca@gmail.com
Degree(s): BA, Yale University
Research Interests: Public Economics; Health Economics; Social Insurance, specifically Medicare/Medicaid

Burroughs Wellcome Fund Fellowship

Kevin Chen

2023-24 BWF Fellow, Pritzker School of Medicine

kevin.chen@uchicagomedicine.org
Degree(s): BA, Rice University
Research Interests: Biomechanics, traumatic injuries, gunshot wounds, social determinants of health

Riley Driscoll

2023-24 BWF Fellow, Pritzker School of Medicine

rdriscoll7@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): BS, Molecular Biology, BYU
Research Interests: Low- and high-grade astrocytoma pathobiology; Metastatic brain and spinal tumors; CNS malignancy and disease burden in the aging population; Glial senescence and senolytic therapy; Drug repurposing and clinical trials

MD/PhD Program in Medicine, the Social Sciences, and Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (MeSH)

Afia Khan

afia@uchicago.edu
PhD Program: Harris School of Public Policy
Research Interests: Health economics, antimicrobial resistance, social determinants of health and well-being

Joseph Krongold

jkrongold@uchicago.edu
PhD Program: Public Health Sciences- Health Services Research
Research Interests: Quality measurement, end of life care

Maya Lozinski

mayalozinski@uchicago.edu
PhD Program: Health Economics at the Harris School of Public Policy
Research Interests: Health economics, risk adjustment, machine learning

Postdoctoral Program in Clinical Research, Biomedical Informatics, and Health Equity (TL1)

Mary Bucklin, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Rush University Medical Center

mary_a_bucklin@rush.edu
Degree(s): PhD, Northwestern University; BS, University of Rochester
Research Interests: Interaction of bio/psycho/social aspects of pain, particularly how socioeconomic status may influence spine health

Danielle Thompson, MD

Postdoctoral Fellow and Resident, General Surgery, NorthShore University Health System

danielle.thompson@uchicagomedicine.org
Degree(s): MD, Howard University College of Medicine; MSCP – University of Chicago (in progress)
Research Interests: Health disparities within breast cancer diagnosis/treatment, Timeliness of breast cancer screening/diagnosis/treatment, Social vulnerability and its impact on breast cancer screening/diagnosis/treatment

Mari Mackiewicz, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine, University of Chicago

marimack@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): PhD, University of San Diego; MSN/CNS, University of San Diego
Research Interests: Oral health in underserved populations, problematic substance use in older adults

Tianjian Lai, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago

tianjian.lai@bsd.uchicago.edu
Degree(s): PhD, UCLA; MA, UCLA; BA, University of Chicago
Research Interests: The effects of social inequality and immigration status on the health and wellbeing of immigrant families

Jong-Wook Ban, MD, MSc, DPhil

Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago

jban@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): DPhil, University of Oxford; MSc, University of Oxford; MD, Chung-Ang University
Research Interests: Evidence-based health care decisions, enhancing the value of health research, health equity, clinical prediction rules

Mona Moukaddem

Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago

mjm36@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): General Medicine, American University of Beirut
Research Interests: Emergency medicine research, health equity in emergency medicine, incorporating health informatics in emergency medicine research, clinical trials

Eva Melstrom, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Health and Social Sciences, University of Chicago

emelstrom@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): PhD, UCLA; MSc, Boston University; BA, Kalamazoo College
Research Interests: Individual experiences of mental and emotional health in relation to migration/mobility

William Zhang, MD, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago

william.zhang@uchicagomedicine.edu
Degree(s): PhD, Washington University in St. Louis; MD, Washington University in St. Louis; BS, Duke University
Research Interests: Aging, systems biology, evolution, comparative biology, biologics, cell therapies

Lia Smith, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Rush University

lia_smith@rush.edu
Degree(s): PhD, University of Houston; MA, University of Houston; BA, Wheaton College
Research Interests: Risk (e.g., sleep, distress tolerance) and resilience (e.g., mindfulness, psychological flexibility) processes at the intersection of trauma, substance misuse, and health disparities

Paula de la Pena, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Loyola University Chicago

pdelapena@luc.edu
Degree(s): PhD, Loyola University Chicago; MS, Benedictine University; BS, Lewis University; BA, University of Cincinnati
Research Interests: Symptoms/symptom science, cerebrovascular disease, stroke outcomes, natural language processing, big data analyses

Katayoun Hemmesi, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Neurosurgery Department

khemmesi@uchicagomedicine.org
Degree(s): PhD, Vita-Salute San-Raffaele University; MSc, Hamadan University
Research Interests: Understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms of brain tumor initiation, progression and resistance to therapy, with a focus on identifying novel therapeutic targets for more effective treatment of brain tumors

Samantha Addante, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Rush University Medical Center

samantha_addante@rush.edu
Degree(s): PhD, Oklahoma State University; BA, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Research Interests: Intergenerational transmission of trauma; PTSD; parent-child attachment processes